


A Mistake

by f0rever15elf



Category: Bloodsucking Bastards (2015)
Genre: A Happy Ending, Angst, F/M, Light Swearing, Pedro Pascal - Freeform, blood mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27803470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f0rever15elf/pseuds/f0rever15elf
Summary: Two years ago, Max made a mistake. Today, he looks you up and sees you’re getting married. And not to him.
Relationships: Max Phillips/ You, Max Phillips/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 27





	A Mistake

He’s an idiot.

God, his is such a _fucking idiot._

He promised himself he wouldn’t look, that he wouldn’t go seeking you out after you had parted ways over two years ago, but tonight he isn’t sure what comes over him. He pulls up Instagram, the only social media he’s ever really had, and types in your handle. And what he sees makes his frozen heart ache in his chest. An engagement ring on your finger. You’re getting married.

 _And not to him_.

~~~~~~~

_Your heels clicked against the tile of the lobby as you strode into the office building with bolstering confidence. You had been accepted as the new HR head rep after the sudden departure of the previous, the interview that you were currently heading to more of a formality than anything else. The interview didn’t even last five minutes, the handsome yet unsettling manager giving you a once over from his desk that he had his feet propped up on before standing, giving you the sleaziest smile you think you had ever seen. Any physical attractiveness was immediately canceled out._

“You _are absolutely perfect for this job,” he all but purred, shaking your hand in his after rounding his desk to meet you. His hand was cold, unusually so, and the way he leered at you made every hair on your body stand up as your heart raced in your chest. Were the rumors… true?_

_Your eyes narrowed oh so slightly before you returned his smile with matched confidence. “It’s a pleasure. I appreciate the chance to work for you.” With a wink that made your skin absolutely crawl, he ushered you to your new office, not too far from his own. You could feel his eyes raking your figure as he stood in your doorway, leaning against the frame._

“ _I look forward to getting to know you much, much better.” At the comment you glanced back over your shoulder at him, your brow pinched, but he was already gone, leaving nothing but a chilled air in the room. An… odd first day, to say the least._

 _Back in his office, Max paced frantically behind his closed door and shut blinds. You smelt amazing. Better than any of the humans he had crossed paths with in recent times, and_ way _better than Amanda. Not to mention you were drop dead gorgeous. He groaned as he sat down in his chair, picking up his little foam globe from some ridiculous sales pitch to toss it up in the air as he thought things through._

 _He could turn you pretty quickly, that would be the least messy. Someone like you was sure to have family, friends who would come knocking to see where you vanished to. Turned, you could keep up the facade of being married to your work. But oh how he just wanted to sink his fangs into you and taste that sweet smelling blood that coursed through your veins. But you_ were _gorgeous. Maybe he’d try to hit it first, then go from there. Yeah, that seemed like the best option._

~~~~~~~

Max sits on the foot of his rarely used bed, glaring a hole into the floor as he does his best to not crush his cellphone between his fingers as the news of your engagement forces every other thought from his mind. You’re getting _married_. And you hadn’t even told him about it. Sure, you had no obligation to after what had happened, but he figured you would have at least sent him _some_ kind of notification. His chest aches in a way reminiscent of the day you told him to get lost.

~~~~~~

“ _Let me get this straight. You, my boss, who cannot seem to last five minutes without turning_ something _into an innuendo, are asking me on a completely serious date?” Your brow arched incredulously at his proposition to dinner, no strings attached._

“ _Oh c’mon, sweet cheeks, give me_ some _credit. I can last a hell of a lot longer than five minutes.” You rolled your eyes at his lewd comment as he snickered from his perch on your desk. “But seriously, yeah, I’m asking you out to dinner, no strings attached. What do ya say, hm?”_

“ _HR won’t like it,” you hummed, trying to hide your grin._

“ _Oh, I think HR will like it very much when I tell her I’m taking her to the Del Monte.”_

_Your eyebrows shot up at that one. The nicest French restaurant in the whole city, which also happened to be the most expensive. “I think she could be persuaded to let it go in that case.”_

“ _Excellent. I’ll pick you up at 7.” He turned and headed out the door, pausing in the doorway to turn back to you. “Oh, and wear something red.” He winked at that with a click of his tongue before heading back to his office._

_Seven rolled around and Max was as punctual as ever, leaning against his imported sports car with his hands in his pockets when you finally emerged from your home. He looked as handsome as always, dressed in a bespoke suit with a red tie. You had considered not wearing red, just to frustrate him because it would be hilarious, but ultimately decided against it. A part of you wanted to please Max in some little way. Whether or not that was just the desperation for some affirmation of your appeal still being there or not remained to be seen._

“ _Lookin’ good sweet cheeks! You know, I really think you should wear this to the office.” He grinned as you made it up to him, opening your door for you in the most gentlemanly gesture you had ever seen from him._

“ _In your dreams, Phillips.”_

“ _Oh it definitely will be,” he snickered as he shut the door after you sat down and all you could do was roll your eyes._

 _Dinner was… nice. It was really nice. Max was lewd and a little pervy, but it wasn’t anything you weren’t used to. What_ was _strange, was that even for all his playing, poking, and prodding, was that it seemed he was actually listening to you. He was engaged, asking questions. As much as he made fun of some of your answers… he was still paying attention. Perhaps this fratboy of a boss had a sweet side._

~~~~~~

He needs to talk to you. He _needs_ to. He has… so much to ask you, so much to tell you. So much to make up for.

The phone screen glows to life as he taps it before he quickly pulls up his contacts, his name hovering over the nickname for you that never changed, not in the two whole years you had been apart. _Luberia Mea._

~~~~~~

“ _What’s that mean?” You asked, looking at his phone screen from your place in his lap and he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the back of your head._

“ _It’s Romanian. I had to learn some out of necessity when I was in school.”_

“ _I figured, but what’s it mean?”_

“ _It means ‘My Love.’” Your cheeks grew hot at that, your brain shorting out as Max laughed at your reaction. “Wow, of all things, that’s what gets you to be quiet?” You smacked his chest at that, only earning another laugh as you huffed and settled more into his lap._

“ _Asshole,” you grumbled, crossing your arms. Though, you can’t help the way your heart swelled at the knowledge that his name for you in your phone was something so sweet._

_~~~~~~_

If his heart still beat, he’s sure he would be having a heart attack right now, thumb still hovering over your contact. You wouldn’t want to hear from him. You’re very clearly over him if you’re getting married to someone else. He’s an accountant of all things. You had always told him you hated accountants. So why the _hell_ are you marrying an accountant?

He huffs out a sigh as he stands, pacing his room again before he finally garners the courage, pressing your contact before placing the phone against his ear. He chews his lip nervously between his teeth, hissing when he slices it open on the fangs he hadn’t realized had descended in his anxious state.

“Max?”

Your voice coming through the earpiece melts away everything else. All the anxiety and dread, all the restless dreams and lonely nights. They all melt away as your voice reaches his ear, more beautiful than any music. He manages to croak out a ‘hi’ as he stands frozen in the middle of his room.

“Hi. Why are you calling?” Your voice is incredulous, as it should be. Especially after what happened.

~~~~~~

“ _You’re an ASSHOLE Phillips!”_

“ _Oh,_ I’m _the asshole, huh?!”_

_Tears poured down your face as you grabbed a trash bag, shoving everything that was Max’s into it before thrusting it into his arms. He stares at you with confusion as you angrily rub your eyes. “I know you think I’m cute when I’m jealous, but making out with the new intern in the supply closet because I snapped back at you at work? That’s low, even for you.”_

_Max’s heart would have frozen in his chest at your tone, had it still beat. “Baby ca-”_

“ _Don’t,” you cut him off, shaking your head. “Don’t fucking call me any of those pet names of yours. I don’t want to hear it. You play around Max, you always have. The teasing, the jokes, the poking and prodding. I dealt with it because I was sure I loved you and you loved me and it was all harmless and usually when I asked you to stop, you did. You always respected me, even after you got in my pants that first night. But this? Max, you ripped out my heart and stomped on it this time, and I’m not going to play your game anymore. You obviously don’t love me the way you say you do.”_

_Max said your name with a shaky breath, taking a step towards you that you countered with a step back and a violent shake of your head._

“ _We’re through, Max. Consider yourself dumped, and consider my employment terminated.”_

“ _Please don’t do this,” he begged. “I do love you, I do! I can explain what happened!”_

“ _I don’t want to hear it, Phillips.” You looked up at him with eyes that hold so much pain that he felt himself shattering into a thousand pieces. “You are no longer invited into my home.”_

_It was instantaneous, the reaction to your words. It felt like the worst punch in the chest as he was pushed from the house in the blink of an eye by some invisible force, the contents of the bag scattering as he hit the ground of your driveway. He groaned as he sat up, looking up to see you staring down at him with a tear stained face, clutching your body to protect yourself._

“ _Don’t call.” Those were your last words as you shut the door in his face, shutting him out of your life completely._

_~~~~~~_

“I, erm, saw you’re engaged,” he manages to choke out, nerves damn near eating him alive.

“I am.” The curtness in your voice cuts him to the bone.

“I… are… are you… happy?”

The sigh you let out is world-weary, and he hears you telling your fiance that you need to step outside for a minute, followed by the door closing. “I am. He takes care of me.”

“I see, I see.” Max slowly sits down on the foot of his bed, wondering why he called, why he thought this was a good idea.

“Why are you really calling, Phillips? I thought I was pretty clear when I told you not to call.” You do your best to keep your voice level, to keep the shakiness from your voice as that voice that you hadn’t heard in two years rings in your ears. 

“I fucked up.” He drops his face into his free hand and sighs, closing his eyes. “I fucked up two years ago, and I’ve been living with it ever since. I told myself I wouldn’t call. I told myself I wouldn’t look for you to see how you were doing but I did tonight, I can’t tell you why because I don’t have an answer to that, but I did. And I saw the ring on your hand and you’re wearing that red dress. That red dress that was my favorite thing to see you in because you just look _ethereal_ in it and I…” Max lets out a groan of frustration at the end of his rambling. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have called. I’ll let you go. Congratulations on the engagement. I hope he makes you happier than I did. You deserve that happiness.” He pulls the phone away from his ear to hang up, only pausing when he hears you ask for him to wait.

On the porch of your house, you worry your lip between your teeth as you carefully think over the next words. You look over your shoulder to see your new fiance sitting on your couch, watching the night’s baseball game. You didn’t lie, he does make you happy. But then you really look at him. Cropped brown hair, bright chocolate brown eyes that crinkle at the edges when he smiles, a beautiful aquiline nose. The sigh of realization that leaves your lips leaves you feeling heavy and disgusted with yourself. You… you were trying to replace the one thing you wanted and had gotten so caught up in your fairy tale that you were engaged to someone you sought out because he looked like the man you had fully given your heart to. Oh God, what have you done?

Tears well in your eyes as you slowly sink down on your front porch step, spilling over to run down your cheeks as your realization washes over you. Your hand covers your mouth in an attempt to smother your sob, but you know Max hears it regardless. Max calls your name so gently, the way he used to when you would hole up in your bedroom after a bad day at work. The true, genuine concern that you know he had for you back then is still as clear as the day he first asked you to be his.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs again into the receiver, dragging his hand down his face. He shouldn’t have done this. He should have just left you to your happiness without him, because now you’re crying. Try as you might to hide it, he knows those sounds from you all too well, and it re-kills him to be sitting here, alone in his bed, rather than being there with you to wipe those tears from that beautiful face of yours. “I can go….”

“Don’t,” you snap, frantically wiping your face. “Just… Max, I need to know. Tell me why you did it. Two years ago, tell me why.” Your voice betrays your desperation. Two years without closure had eaten away at you, but you had promised yourself that you would not be the first one to reach out. But _God_ did you need to know.

Max’s chest grows tight, his throat constricting. This is why he had called, right? This is what he had wanted to tell you two years ago when you caught him with the new intern in the supply closet. You were giving him the chance he had begged for. He takes a deep, unneeded breath before carefully wording his answer. “I made a bad call.” He clenches his eyes closed, thinking back on how he was sure this move was going to make the company for a long time to come. Hea had been so single minded, and it cost him everything. “The new intern, she was the daughter of a high stakes investor in the company. His interest had been piqued when he saw the sharp turn around our numbers made when I took over.” He stands, beginning to pace as the truth he had kept for years finally spills free. “She was a wild card when she showed up, her name on the top of the pile of intern applications. I knew bringing her one would make us look good to her dad. It would give us more wiggle room in negotiations.”

“That doesn’t explain why I caught you trying to suck her face off in the supply closet.”

Max flinches at the venom in your voice. “I’m getting there. The day you caught me was her first day. She paraded herself into my office in that tiny little number that was totally inappropriate for work, and I knew immediately what she was gunning for. She looked at me… well, she looked at me the way I looked at you on your first day.”

“Like a snack.”

“Sweet cheeks,” he says with as much affection as he can muster. “I looked at you like you were the whole fucking meal.” You feel your cheeks grow hot at his complement, your heart stuttering at the nickname you hadn’t heard in two years. “But yes, that’s how she looked at me. I tried to play it up and use it to my advantage, escorting her around the building, all while trying to compel her. I didn’t need her trying to jump me, but I needed her to be human and proficient in the company for the sake of the investor, so I couldn’t turn her.”

“You say trying….”

“For some reason, compulsion didn’t work on her. Maybe because her head was _too_ empty to compel. I really don’t know, but the girl was dumber than a box of rocks.” He rolls his eyes remembering her obnoxious little giggle. “I had finally had it. I was just going to eat her, to hell with the investor, so I took her into the supply closet. Which was apparently just where she wanted to go. I’m not used to anyone trying to jump me the way she did, sweet cheeks, please believe me. It caught me off guard and I locked up. She pulled me against her the same moment you opened that door and caught us and the look in your eyes… I locked up.”

“Why didn’t you stop me at work then. Why didn’t you follow me?”

Your voice is so small, Max feels his eyes prick with tears at the sound as he lets his head fall forward. “That was my next mistake,” he whispers. “I should have followed you, but I decided to stay and save face in the department. I had to finish carting the intern around to make sure she didn’t set anything on fire or something. Then her father stopped by unexpectedly and I took advantage of that when I should have…” his voice trails off, only causing the grip on your phone to tighten.

“Should have what, Max?”

“I should have followed you. I should never have let you make it to the car, much less to the house. I shouldn’t have let it boil the way it did. I should have… I should have put you first. But I didn’t and now it’s two years later and you’re engaged to someone who-” He cuts himself off, biting his tongue to avoid driving the dagger deeper into his own chest, or yours.

“Someone who…?”

“Who isn’t me, sweet cheeks.” You feel like you’ve been socked in the chest. All the air leaves your lungs in a strangled sounding gasp of a sob as the world you had fabricated around finding Max with that intern crumbles around you. An assumption and decisions made out of hurt and haste resulted in you removing yourself from the man you loved. “You have every right to hate me. You have every right to never want to see or talk to me again. But I just… tonight I needed to talk to you. Congratulations on your engagement. I hope it’s a lovely wedding.” Max pulls the phone away from his ear, ending the call before falling backwards against the mattress. He stares at the ceiling as bloody tears pool in his eyes before spilling over. For the first time in a long time, Max Phillips cries.

You stare at the phone screen after Max ends the call, gobsmacked and aching and _empty_. On shaking legs, you stand and head inside, tears still flowing freely down your face. Your fiance turns his head to look at you when you make your way in, standing to rush to you when he sees the state you’re in.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Who was that on the phone?” His tone is worried and sweet and nowhere near as rich as Max’s as he grips your arms gently, trying to soothe you.

“It… It was Max….”

“Your old boss and ex? What the hell did he want?” Your fiance’s voice grows hostile. You had told him what you had perceived as the truth these two years, and he was certainly no fan of your ex. You nod slowly, reaching to wipe your eyes.

“I was wrong, Justin,” you whisper, looking up at him. “I was wrong about what happened that day at work.”

Justin’s brow furrows in confusion, his hands stilling on your arms. “What do you mean you were wrong?”

“He told me what happened just now. After two years, he finally told me what happened that day in the office and I was wrong, Justin. I was _so wrong._ ” You let out a choked sob and Justin pulls you against him, rubbing your back soothingly but you find no comfort in it. “H-He d-d-didn’t cheat on m-me! She forced him! A-And I k-kicked him out!”

“Then why didn’t he call to explain earlier?”

“I-I t-t-told him n-not to. A-and h-he resp-spected that.” You tremble against the man you call fiance. The word bears with it heavy guilt and regret and suddenly the thought of getting married to this man you had spent the last nine months with makes your stomach turn. Justin sighs, leading you back to the bedroom to help you get comfortable. He sits you on the bed, reaching up to wipe your tears from your cheeks as he kneels on one knee on the floor in front of you. He can tell you’re far away by the look in your eyes and finally the nights where you called out for Max in your sleep make sense. You were carrying guilt and worry that you had made the wrong choice, even if it was masked by your anger. And this phone call didn’t help. With a sigh, he squeezes your hands gently in his own, causing you to focus on him.

“Darling, you know I love you and I will support you in anything you do in life. You know that the only thing I have ever wanted was for you to be happy. So I want you to be honest with me, okay?” Your brow pinches as Justin talks, but you nod warily. “This, what we have here right now,” he holds up your hands in his. “Is this what makes you happy?”

“You do make me happy, Justin. You do!” you answer quickly, squeezing his hand tightly. Justin gives you a sad smile at your quick reply, squeezing your hands again.

“And you make me happy too. But what I mean is, are you just content here with me, or is a future with me what you really want?”

“You’re questioning whether or not I want to marry you?” Your voice is a disbelieving whisper as you stare wide-eyed at your fiance. “Why… why would you ask me that?”

“Because in the end, whether it is with me or with someone else, I want you to be as happy as you possibly can be. Because I love you. Sweetheart, you call out for Max still in the middle of the night. Even just a couple of nights ago, you were still calling for him. And just now, this phone call has torn you up more than I have ever seen. And I don’t want you to have to constantly live with that guilt hanging over you just to make myself happy. Because if you aren’t happy, I won’t be happy.” Justin’s eyes shine with his own tears and your heart breaks knowing just what you’re doing to him, watching his heart shred itself. But he’s right. “So I want you to tell me, honestly, is this what you want?”

“I…,” You look down to the diamond on your finger, shining in the light of your bedside table lamp before you look back up at the man who slid it onto your finger just a few days ago. “Justin I…,” How can you be so cruel as to crush his heart like this? But looking deeper into his eyes, you see just how adamant he is about this, about wanting you to be happy. “I think I still love him,” you finally manage to get out in a whisper.

“Darling, I don’t think you ever stopped loving him.” His voice is heavy, laden with the pain that he’s suffering through. But he spoke the truth, and that drive for you to be as happy as you can be keeps him going. “Do you want to give him another chance?” His eyes lock with yours and he sees the fear and concern conflicting with the desire to leave and he reaches up to stroke your cheek gently. You don’t lean into his hand as you normally do and it is then that he knows it’s the beginning of the end. “Do you want to know what I think?” You give him a tiny nod. “I think you are still in love with him, and this call was what finally caused the damn to burst. Everything you have been holding back since you kicked him out was brought surging forward. And I think you feel trapped now, because that beautiful heart of yours doesn’t want to hurt me.” He takes your left hand in his, his thumb running over the stone set in silver.

“What are you doing?” you rasp, voice thick with tears.

“You’re trapped, so I’m setting you free.” Slowly, he slides the engagement band from your finger and your heart seizes up as you look from your hand back to him. Matching tears now flow from his own eyes, but he still smiles at you. “What kind of man or husband would I be to keep someone I care so deeply for trapped and miserable?” He stands and leans forward, pressing a kiss to your forehead with a feather soft touch before pulling back just enough to smile at you. “I’m going to go back to my apartment for tonight, okay? Use tonight to figure out what you want.” He picks up your left hand in his. “This is an official pause on us. Whatever you do tonight, if you choose me in the end, will not affect my decision about you.”

He moves to pull away, but you grip his hand firmly in your own, looking up at him. “You’re sure about this?”

“As sure as I have ever been of anything in my life. If you decide to come back, we can redo the other day all over. And if you choose to not, then I’ll know I’ve helped to let you be as happy as possible.” He brushes his lips across your knuckles after bringing them to his mouth before dropping your hand entirely. “I’ll get going now. Call me tomorrow, okay?” All you can do is nod as you watch him make his way from the bedroom, moving only once you hear the front door shut behind him.

It takes a few moments for your body to function again. There’s only one place you want to be, and it isn’t here, alone in this house. You grab your coat and phone, all but running to the door. Shoes, keys, wallet, and you’re out the door. _Vampir Mea_ lights up your radio screen as you dial Max to tell him you’re on your way. When he doesn’t answer, you let out a scream of frustration, dialing again as you speed towards his penthouse apartment.

Max hasn’t moved from the spot on his bed, staring into the void of the ceiling as blood pools around his head from his tears. Beside him, his phone lights up and buzzes across the mattress but he makes no move to answer it. It rings a second, third, and fourth time but still he lays motionless. Whoever needed him could wait, and hopefully the void would swallow him before then so he could just cease to be.

After the fourth attempt, you slam your hand against the steering wheel. Fine, if he won’t answer, he’d get a surprise when he opened his door to you. It takes you far less time than it normally would to reach his complex, and you easily find your way to the guest spots before all but sprinting inside. The elevator simply isn’t moving fast enough, and you feel like the walls are closing in on you. A gasp escapes your lips when the doors open and you fly down the hall to his door, pounding your fist against it frantically.

In bed, Max groans. Who the hell would be calling at this time of night. Maybe if he ignores them they’ll go away. But the knocks don’t stop. It’s when he hears the voice that he finally sits up, racing to the door. He pauses only to grab a rag, wiping away as much blood as he can.

“PHILLIPS! I know you’re in there, answer the damn door!” Tears of anger, frustration, and grief stain your face as you go to pound on the door again only to have it yanked open by the vampire you haven’t seen since that fateful evening two years ago. Your fist freezes mid air, slowly dropping to your side as you stare at him. As handsome as the day you kicked him out, but much more… forlorn. His normally shining eyes are dull and sad, but wide with surprise at seeing you there.

The air is thick with tension for several moments before the hall is filled with a resounding slap. Your shoulders heave as Max slowly turns to look back at you, holding his cheek. Not out of pain, but rather surprise. “That’s for not coming after me, and for just… hanging up on me like you did tonight. That’s for TWO YEARS of nothing from you!”

“You told me not to call…,” he whispers, staring at you, hand twitching at his side as he aches to reach out for you. You tremble in front of him, tears still racing down your cheeks as his eyes drift to your left hand before darting back to your eyes. “The ring…?” The question is all it takes. You throw yourself at him and he catches you with ease, pulling you inside to shut the door behind you as you sob against him. Deep, heartbreaking sobs resound in the house as Max holds you against him, soaking in your warmth that even after two years is still so familiar. He closes his eyes as he rests his head against yours. You still smell so sweet. So beautifully sweet.

Eventually, he carries you to the living room, setting you gently on the couch before going to get you water. He sits next to you when he returns, handing the glass to you while he waits for you to speak. It’s several minutes before you finally do. “I didn’t realize,” you whisper, and Max’s brow pinches.

“Didn’t realize what?”

“What actually happened that day at the office.” You look up to him with glistening eyes. “And I never gave you the chance to explain yourself. I was just so… so hurt and angry that I… I shut you out.”

“Sweet cheeks, you do _not_ need to apologize for anything that day. It’s on me, all of it.” He wants to reach out and touch you, but you aren’t his anymore, so he keeps himself frozen beside you. “Why… did you come here? What is this proving?”

You fall into another silence, staring into your glass as you ponder your answer and Max waits patiently the whole time. “Justin is giving me the night to decide.” You pick at the rim of the glass. “I still dream about you. Almost every night. I say your name in my sleep.” Finally, you muster the courage to look up at the vampire beside you. “He took the ring back for tonight and is waiting for my answer tomorrow.”

“Your answer for what?” If his heart still beat, it would be thudding from his chest right now.

“As to whether or not I still want to marry him.”

Max’s heart falls. He’s hurt you a second time, now potentially ruining your marriage and chance at happiness all for a stupid, selfish phone call. “I can’t come between you and him. I can’t hurt you again. Not again.” He shakes his head, standing from the couch and taking a step back.

“What I do with my engagement is my decision, not yours.” Your eyes follow him as he steps away, shaking his head. “I made a mistake kicking you out, and seeing you here and now… hearing your voice again, it all…. Max I never got over you. Justin looks so much like you, acts so much like you sometimes. I can’t… I can’t just use him as a substitute for you, that’s not fair to him. Or to me, or to you.” You set your glass down, standing up to walk towards him. “He took the ring back for tonight as a show of us pausing our engagement, to let me… sort myself out. All bets are off tonight.” Tentatively, you reach out for his hand and he lets you take it. It’s freezing, and you know he hasn’t been eating anywhere near as much as he should be.

Max is tense, still as a statue as you hold his hand, looking up at him with those gorgeous eyes that he could spend eternity looking into. “I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret,” he whispers. “You said you were happy with him. I can’t take that from you. I don’t _want_ to take that from you.”

“He makes me happy, but Max.” You sigh, running your other hand through your hair. “Justin saw the potential for me to be happier. He was right, I never got over you. I don’t know what I want exactly, but I know that I can’t find it with Justin. I don’t think I ever could. And I can’t do that to him.” Your thumb runs across his knuckles and he shivers, eyes locked on yours. “I want to try again, if you’ll have me. I wasn’t sure while I was driving here, but being here now… Max, with you is where I want to be, to find our way together. I made a mistake that day and I’ve been living with it for two years. I just-”

You’re cut off by cold lips pressing against your own and you melt instantly at how familiar and _right_ it feels. You chase his lips as he pulls away, eyes fluttering open as his hand comes to rest on your cheek. “For two years, you’ve never once left my thoughts.” His thumb ghosts across your skin. “I fucked up so hard that day, in so many ways, yet you’re still the one apologizing. You’re… incredible. The mistake was mine, beautiful. Mine and mine alone, and so long as you will have me, I’ll spend every single day till the day of my demise making it up to you. This home is so… empty without you.” The tears come tenfold from you as he leans down to you again, resting his forehead against your own. “Can… can I have that chance?”

A small whimper passes through your lips and you nod, reaching up to pull his mouth back to your own. The kiss is hungry, desperate, and full of so much passion and desire it leaves you breathless and panting when he finally pulls away. “You can, Max. You can have it and so much more. Justin was right. This is what I want.” Max smiles, pulling your lips back to his in a sweet and tender kiss, and for the first time in two years you feel peace.

It doesn’t take long for you and Max to fall back into routine, re-experiencing your relationship together and making up for two lost years. Justin had been heartbroken but understanding and encouraging when you had called him the morning after going to Max’s, but he eventually found true love himself and was now happily married with a kid on the way.

As for you and Max, well, the world was yours for the taking. A ruby sparkles on your finger, set in pewter; Max’s promise to you. His promise that he was yours forever. His promise that you would one day join him in undeath, as soon as you were ready. He was yours and you were his, as it was always meant to be. 


End file.
